[BEIJING] Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will make an official visit to China from Sunday (Jun 22) to Thursday, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced in a statement.
While PM Wong has previously visited China on many occasions, this will be his first trip to the world’s second-largest economy since he became prime minister a little over a year ago. On this five-day trip, he will travel to the capital Beijing, as well as Tianjin.
During his stay in Beijing, PM Wong will meet President Xi Jinping, Li – who will also host him at a welcome ceremony and dinner banquet – and National People’s Congress chairman Zhao Leji.
Zhao is the country’s former anti-corruption chief and currently the third most senior official in China’s ruling Communist Party
PM Wong previously met Li in October last year and Xi a month later, both on the sidelines of multilateral meetings. This week’s meeting with Zhao will be his first.
PM Wong will also attend a reception in Beijing where he will engage Singaporeans living in China.
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In Tianjin, PM Wong will attend the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual Meeting of the New Champions, or Summer Davos, themed “Entrepreneurship for a New Era” this year.
While there, he will participate in a dialogue session with WEF president Borge Brende and join other foreign leaders attending the event at a dinner hosted by Li.
The PMO statement said that PM Wong’s introductory visit to China comes as the two countries commemorate 35 years of diplomatic relations and “reaffirm the mutual commitment” to strengthen bilateral ties.
“It is also an opportunity for leaders on both sides to exchange views on bilateral issues as well as regional and international developments,” the statement added.
In an interview broadcast on China’s CCTV-13’s Leaders Talk programme on Friday, PM Wong said he aims to establish closer ties with Chinese leaders, reaffirm their commitment to enhanced cooperation, and discuss global affairs during his visit.
“I made it a point to visit China almost every year since entering politics, because it is useful to visit regularly, to interact, exchange notes with my counterparts, and to get a sense of how China is moving and transforming,” he said in the interview.
Building on longstanding ties
Singapore and China established diplomatic ties in 1990, and upgraded relations to an “All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership” in 2023. Leaders on both sides have participated in a steady flow of high-level engagements.
On the economic front, China has been Singapore’s largest merchandise trading partner for over a decade, with merchandise trade reaching S$170.2 billion in 2024.
Meanwhile, China was the city-state’s third-largest services trading partner in 2023, with a services trade value of S$64.9 billion.
In terms of investment flow, Singapore is also China’s largest foreign investor. On the tourism front, Singapore received 3.08 million Chinese visitors last year.
The two countries cooperate across various areas, through a variety of platforms.
For example, at the deputy prime minister level, they engage via the annual Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation.
Singapore and China carry out three government-to-government projects: the Suzhou Industrial Park; the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City; and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative.
Other engagements are also conducted through the Investment Promotion Committee; provincial Business Councils; the Guangzhou Knowledge City; the Shenzhen Smart City Initiative; and forums on social governance and leadership.
Among those in PM Wong’s delegation are Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan; Sustainability and the Environment Minister and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu; Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow; Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Sim Ann; and Member of Parliament Syed Harun Alhabsyi.
PM Wong will be on leave on Jun 27. In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will be the acting prime minister until Jun 25, with Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam taking on the role from Jun 26 to 27.
